Search Results (48)

In the context of the building sector, university campus buildings play a crucial role in promoting a green economic transition toward carbon neutrality, as universities are among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. This research proposed a strategy for the operation and management of university campuses that focused on reducing energy consumption by optimizing the utilization of building spaces. To gather empirical data, a case study was conducted to examine the energy consumption of campus buildings based on their characteristics at Korea University. The results indicated that effective space utilization, achieved through the efforts of stakeholders, led to a reduction in heating and cooling energy consumption. To achieve this, the study classified university buildings by considering both physical variables and human-centered factors that affect energy consumption, analyzed space usage behavior, and compared heating and cooling energy consumption across buildings. This study expands current knowledge because its approach differs from previous research, which has generally focused on using simulation tools to analyze factors associated with the physical aspects of buildings—such as the energy performance of a building envelope or the energy-efficiency of facility systems. Full article

With the rapid process of urbanization at a global scale, university campuses have been viewed as important urban green spaces for biodiversity conservation. However, little is known about the role of university campuses in protecting ecological specialists, the species usually vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance. We assessed the associations between several ecological variates and ecological specialization of bird communities across 198 Chinese university campuses. A total of 398 bird species were recorded, including 109 diet specialist species and 104 foraging stratum specialist species. We found that the elevation of campuses was positively related to diet specialist species richness, and the campus area was positively related to foraging stratum specialist species richness. NDVI was positively associated with the community-wide foraging stratum specialization index, but negatively associated with the community-wide diet specialization index. Our results suggest that campuses with larger areas or located at high elevations play an important role in maintaining ecological specialization of bird communities. Full article

Urban campuses face critical environmental challenges due to high pedestrian density, traffic-induced air pollution, and thermal stress, especially in compact Mediterranean settings. These conditions can compromise the usability and livability of outdoor spaces. This study investigates whether greening and material-based interventions can offset a lower degree of traffic reduction in improving air quality and thermal comfort. The University Campus of Catania (Southern Italy) served as the case study. An integrated microscale simulation framework using ENVI-met was developed, calibrated, and validated with local traffic, meteorological data, and field measurements of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5. Three scenarios were tested: a baseline, Scenario 1 (50% traffic reduction with moderate greening), and Scenario 2 (30% traffic reduction with more extensive greening and material interventions). Results showed that Scenario 1 consistently outperformed Scenario 2 in all pedestrian hotspots. The highest reductions recorded in Scenario 1 were −0.150 μg/m³ for PM_2.5 (−11.5%), −0.069 μg/m³ for PM₁₀ (−5.9%), −2.16 °C for UTCI (−7.6%), and −2.52 °C for MRT (−4.5%). These findings confirm that traffic reduction is the dominant factor in achieving environmental improvements, although greening and innovative materials play a valuable complementary role. The study supports integrated planning strategies for climate-responsive and healthier university environments. Full article

Understanding pollution levels, ecological health risks, and sources of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in the soil from university campuses is critical for assessing environmental safety. Soil samples were collected from 12 locations across urban parks and green areas at Sohag University in Egypt. The samples were processed and analysed for heavy metals, including iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and cadmium (Cd). Pollution levels were evaluated using indices such as the pollution index (PI), pollution load index (PLI), geo-accumulation index (I_geo), and enrichment factors (EFs). Among the pollution indices, the EFs showed the highest sensitivity in detecting anthropogenic contributions, particularly for Cd, Pb, and Cr. Spatial distribution maps and multivariate statistical analyses, including correlation matrix (CM), principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis (CA), were applied to identify the relationships between PTMs and soil properties, and source apportionment was performed using positive matrix factorisation (PMF). The results indicated that Mn, Ni, and Co were primarily geogenic, whereas Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cd showed higher concentrations, suggesting moderate-to-significant anthropogenic pollution. Pb and Cd pose considerable ecological risks, whereas other metals such as Cr and Cu exhibit moderate ecological threats. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks to the students were within safe limits, as defined by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) threshold values. Source apportionment using PMF identified five main sources of PTMs: industrial and anthropogenic activities (30.0%), traffic emissions (25.0%), natural soil processes (20.0%), agricultural practices (15.0%), and mixed industrial traffic sources (10.0%). These findings emphasise the importance of controlling anthropogenic activities to ensure a safer campus environment. Full article

University campuses play a crucial role in sustainable development; however, the current green campus evaluation systems tend to focus primarily on the physical environment and building technology, often overlooking user perception and the impact of these factors on the execution of green campus strategies. Starting with an examination of the connotation and evolution of green campuses, we derived relevant indicators of campus subjective perceptions from both domestic and international green campus evaluation systems. We collected user feedback through satisfaction questionnaires and text data on the green campuses of nine representative Chinese universities. Factor analysis was used to establish the correlations between campus planning and subjective perceptions across six key areas. This research applied importance–performance analysis (IPA) to assess the prioritization of each green campus indicator, integrating it with textual semantic analysis to better understand the perceptions and attitudes of campus users toward green campus development. The findings suggest that the objectives of a green campus cannot be fully achieved using only technical or physical evaluation criteria. Instead, combining subjective feedback with quantitative indicators forms the foundation for effective strategy development. This study also found that users were more concerned about the design of details related to learning, living, entertainment, and recreation than the broader green campus planning decisions made by planners and decision-makers. Focusing on user perception and balancing scientific planning with public participation can help achieve the ultimate goal of green campus planning and design, adhering to a human-centered approach. Full article

This study explores how university students’ engagement in sustainability-themed extracurricular activities influences their awareness of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Given the critical role of higher education in advancing sustainability, this research assesses initiatives such as environmental action clubs, sustainability research, eco-innovations, green campuses, and training workshops for fostering awareness, engagement, and leadership. A cross-sectional quantitative design targeted 400 university students in Greece involved in sustainability-related extracurricular activities. Structured online questionnaires were used, and multiple regression analysis examined the relationship between extracurricular activities and SDG engagement. The findings highlighted that all five activity types significantly enhance students’ sustainability awareness. Environmental action clubs improve knowledge of climate change and waste reduction, while research projects strengthen engagement with renewable energy and climate resilience. Eco-innovation challenges foster problem solving and interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly in urban and industrial sustainability. Green campus initiatives promote practical sustainable strategies, and capacity-building programs develop leadership and teamwork skills. Extracurricular activities serve as transformative tools that bridge theoretical knowledge with real-world sustainability applications, equipping students with the mindset and skills to address global challenges. Universities and policymakers should enhance funding, digital integration, and collaborations to expand the reach of these programs. Future research should assess the long-term impact of student participation on sustainable behavior and broader societal well-being. Full article

In this study, the carbon emissions of Jilin University of Architecture and Technology were comprehensively calculated using the “Guidelines for accounting of carbon emissions of university campuses” issued by the China Association for Energy Conservation in Buildings. The total emissions for 2023 amounted to 13,571.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with a per person emission of 0.93 tonnes. Incorporating carbon offsets like green plant sequestration, renewable energy, and waste recycling reduced emissions by 9007.68 tonnes, resulting in a net emission of 4564.17 tonnes and a per person net emission of 0.31 tonnes. To further cut emissions, the university implemented strategies such as nearly zero-energy buildings, clean energy heating, energy monitoring, and green courses. Despite these efforts, achieving carbon neutrality remains challenging. The university could explore opportunities to increase renewable energy use or procure green electricity. Its adoption of clean electricity for heating in the severe cold zones not only supports carbon neutrality but also serves as a model for similar campuses. Full article

One of the most crucial aspects of urban planning is transport, which allows access to different land uses and mobility within the metropolitan area. However, because they are linked to sustainable development, transport networks have a detrimental impact on economic, social, and environmental factors. To date, there are many regulatory instruments in place that promote the green economy and aim to limit the excessive use of natural resources. Many municipalities are adopting “Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans” with the aim of redesigning areas and traffic flows in cities and encouraging public transport use to reduce urban pollution and make cities more livable. In Italy, moreover, the figure of the mobility manager has been introduced for companies and public bodies whose task is to optimize the systematic travel of their organization’s employees through the drafting and adoption of the Home–University Travel Plan (HUTP), which is a document whose main objective is to incentivize the use of sustainable forms of mobility by defining specific measures that positively impact the community. Mobility management, therefore, emerges as a fundamental approach to developing and implementing strategies to ensure people’s mobility in an efficient manner in relation to social, environmental, and energy-saving purposes. Following these considerations, this paper presents the development of an HUTP for the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), Greece, based on a work already carried out for the University of Calabria (Italy), and a comparative study between these two HUTPs follows. The choice to draft such plans does not respond to regulatory requirements but to a desire to contribute to the paradigm shift required by the new forms of mobility in the university campuses, which represent an attractive pole of considerable importance on the urban and regional territory. The initiatives to foster sustainable forms of mobility described in this document are also identified considering the Sustainable Development Goals, approved by the United Nations and outlined in Agenda 2030, with the aim also of promoting actions to improve the livability of the territory, ensure inclusion, increase collective well-being and increase the sensitivity of the entire academic community to the issue of sustainability. Full article

Rapid socio-economic development and imbalanced ecosystem conservation have heightened the risk of species extinction, reduced urban climate adaptability, and threatened human health and well-being. Constructing ecological green space networks is an effective strategy for maintaining urban ecological security. However, most studies have primarily addressed biodiversity needs, with limited focus on coordinating street spaces in human settlement planning. This study examines the area within Chengdu’s Third Ring Road, employing the following methodologies: (1) constructing the regional ecological network using Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA), the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model, and circuit theory; (2) analyzing the street green view index (GVI) through machine learning semantic segmentation techniques; and (3) identifying key areas for the coordinated development of urban ecological networks and street green spaces using bivariate spatial correlation analysis. The results showed that (1) Chengdu’s Third Ring Road exhibits high ecological landscape fragmentation, with 41 key ecological sources and 94 corridors identified. Ecological pinch points were located near urban rivers and surrounding woodlands, while ecological barrier points were concentrated in areas with dense buildings and complex transportation networks. (2) Higher street GVI values were observed around university campuses, urban parks, and river-adjacent streets, while lower GVI values were found near commercial areas and transportation hubs. (3) To coordinate the construction of ecological networks and street green spaces, the central area of the First Ring Road and the northwestern region of the Second and Third Ring Roads were identified as priority restoration areas, while the northern, western, and southeastern areas of the Second and Third Ring Roads were designated as priority protection areas. This study adopts a multi-scale spatial perspective to identify priority areas for protection and restoration, aiming to coordinate the construction of urban ecological networks and street green spaces and provide new insights for advancing ecological civilization in high-density urban areas. Full article

The green campus agenda is a specific manifestation of sustainable development and China’s basic strategy of developing the country through science and education. As a result of the differences in the climate environments and topographies of various places, the requisites for site planning and energy consumption by colleges and universities are different among regions, especially cold regions. However, China’s current green campus evaluation standard, GB/T 51356-2019, does not refine the evaluation indicators according to the different regions. Therefore, it is important to develop a green campus evaluation system appropriate to the region. Firstly, based on the relevant literature and standards, this paper clarifies the four evaluation criteria of campus sustainable land use, resource utilization, healthy environment, and safety. Nine first-level evaluation indicators for campuses—master planning, energy utilization, indoor environment, etc.—and twenty-one second-level evaluation indicators for campus siting—such as the use of water-saving appliances and renewable energy—were determined. Secondly, expert scoring and hierarchical analysis (AHP) were utilized to calculate the weights of the evaluation indicators by inputting the experts’ scores into the neural network model and testing the evaluation results using a back propagation neural network (BP) to finally establish a green campus evaluation model for cold regions based on an AHP-BP neural network. Finally, a university building in Xi’an, a cold region, was selected as a case study, and the errors in the green campus evaluation results were between 0.0001 and 0.001, which verifies the precision and practicability of the assessment system and the AHP-BP model. This paper’s findings serve as significant references for the improvement in assessment criteria for green campuses in the future. Full article

The air quality in educational campuses affects the health and work efficiency of teachers and students. Studies into this matter are of great significance for optimizing the management of campus living environments. Low-cost online sensors to monitor PM_2.5 and CO₂ levels were used in typical functional areas of a university campus in Beijing, China, including offices, dormitories, leisure spaces, canteens, and laboratories. By comparing the findings with data from nearby national monitoring stations, the seasonal and spatial variations in PM_2.5 and CO₂ concentrations were analyzed. Findings indicate PM_2.5 levels within the campus were notably lower compared to the surrounding urban environment. There was variation in PM_2.5 and CO₂ concentrations across different functional areas. Typically, indoor PM_2.5 levels were lower than outdoor ones, while CO₂ concentrations in enclosed indoor spaces with human activities progressively escalated. The main internal emission sources affecting the PM_2.5 level on campus included traffic emissions, dust generated by human activities, and emissions from catering. In contrast, in areas with better green coverage or where a lake system participates in the atmospheric circulation, the PM_2.5 level and CO₂/PM_2.5 were lower. This indicates that the cleansing impact of plants and aquatic systems is instrumental in lowering PM_2.5 concentrations, offering healthier leisure spaces. Seasonal variations also impact PM_2.5 levels. During the non-heating period, less pollution source emissions led to decreased outdoor PM_2.5 concentrations. The campus monitoring sites experienced an approximate 5 µg/m³ and 29 µg/m³ reduction in the average PM_2.5 levels as compared to the PM_2.5 of the surrounding urban environment, respectively, during the non-heating and heating period. During indoor activities or sleep, CO₂ levels can build up to as high as 2303 ppm due to breathing. It is advisable to stay indoors on days when pollution levels are high, whereas on days with clean air, it is healthier to be outdoors or to air out indoor areas by opening windows. Our research provides clearer scientific evidence for incorporating behavioral strategies for improving air quality into both daily work and life. Moreover, the findings are quite meaningful for the widespread adoption of low-cost sensor monitoring in various environments, with applications beyond just the campus settings. Full article

A lightscape, as a special visual landscape, has unique temporal and spatial characteristics that traditional photometric measurements and descriptions struggle to capture accurately. Despite their significance, there is a lack of in-depth understanding of the on-site perception of lightscapes’ temporal and spatial characteristics, including in outdoor university campus spaces. This study aims to explore the temporal and spatial characteristics of outdoor lightscapes on university campuses and their potential perceptual influencing factors, providing sustainable design, planning, and management suggestions for campus lightscapes. This study was conducted in the Wushan Campus of the South China University of Technology. It employs a “lightwalk” method for on-site perception evaluation, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches to investigate the temporal and spatial characteristics of lightscapes in outdoor university campus spaces and the effect of temporal and spatial factors on lightscape perception. The main findings are as follows: (1) Meteorological, architectural, and biophilic lightscape dominate the outdoor campus lightscapes. (2) The temporal and spatial characteristics of the lightscapes are affected by changes in natural light, the transition of light sources from day to night, human activity patterns, and the functional characteristics of the site. (3) The correlation between meteorological and traffic lightscape types and lightscape perception is diminished during the evening periods. This method should be a good way to optimize water and architectural lightscape at night to alleviate discomfort. (4) In green-shaded spaces, the association between meteorological, architectural, and traffic lightscape types and the evaluations of emotional, luminous, and eventful aspects is significantly enhanced, suggesting an increase in such spaces to improve lightscape experience quality. This study advocates that the construction of buildings and environments should be “human-oriented”, paying attention to the scientific foundation that humans perceive the habitat environment through the “five senses”. Research on lightscapes’ temporal and spatial characteristics, exploration of the temporal and spatial modes of lightscape perception, and avoiding energy waste and light pollution are conducive to the design and construction of university campuses in line with the principles of sustainable development. The lightscape optimization strategies derived from this study can not only provide practical guidance for the design and management of campus but also may offer valuable recommendations for planning sustainable campus development. Full article

The campus is an important place for recreational activities among surrounding residents, which can alleviate the shortage of urban public green space (PGS). However, evidence is lacking on how much campus green space is complementary to the supply and demand of PGS. For this purpose, we chose Yangling, a university town in western China, as the study area. We compared perceived accessibility and the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the supply and demand of PGSs for residents with different purposes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, when the campuses were closed or reopened. After the campus reopened, the number of blocks that were able to reach their most frequently visited green spaces within 5 min had increased from zero to one (walking) and two to four (by bicycle). The proportion of blocks with a high level of CCD had increased from 28.6% to 42.9%. The reopening of campuses can significantly increase the perceived accessibility of PGSs within 5 min and 15 min by walking and bicycle, respectively, in central urban communities, but it was not significant in suburban communities. It also effectively improved the PGS supply of the block where it is located. For residents who aim to exercise, walk, go sightseeing, and communicate, its role was similar overall. For residents who aim to play with children, the campus green spaces could not bring significant improvements. In order to enhance the complementary role of green space on campus, it is important to improve its accessibility for adjacent blocks, increase inside footpath density, and add child-friendly facilities. Full article

Campus buildings often face issues with high energy consumption, low efficiency, and significant carbon emissions, making the creation of a green, low-carbon campus urgent. Utilizing solar photovoltaics on rooftops can provide an effective power solution to address high energy consumption. This study focuses on a university campus, employing the DeST energy consumption simulation software to model the HVAC systems, electrical devices, and hot water loads of five typical buildings. It combines this with calculations of available rooftop areas to assess the potential for rooftop solar photovoltaics. The results confirm varying annual electricity consumption among the different buildings, which directly correlates with building size and operational schedules. Among the five building types, sports facilities and academic buildings have relatively high rooftop photovoltaic self-sufficiency rates, exceeding 60%, while the library has the lowest, under 20%. The entire university campus has an annual rooftop photovoltaic self-sufficiency rate of 35%, significantly addressing the issue of high energy consumption in university campuses. This research provides a theoretical basis for implementing rooftop photovoltaic systems to achieve campus energy savings. Full article

Amidst rapid urbanization and escalating environmental degradation in China’s urban areas due to climate change, traditional drainage systems struggle to cope with rainfall, resulting in frequent flood disasters. In response, rain gardens have emerged as ecologically practical stormwater management solutions that integrate urban flood control with landscape design. Leveraging the dual benefits of rainwater purification and aesthetic enhancement provided by vegetation, herbaceous plant-based rain gardens have assumed a pivotal role in green infrastructure. However, dedicated research on the application of herbaceous plants in rain garden design is limited, especially within China’s water-stressed context. This study employs a literature review and case analysis to explore this critical issue. Initially, it delineates the concept of the sponge city introduced by the Chinese government. Subsequently, it reviews concepts and methods of plant biodiversity design in urban settings and rain gardens and elucidates the structure and function of rain gardens. Four Chinese rain gardens in different urban environments (old industrial areas, university campuses, urban villages, and urban highway green belts) were selected to examine the selection and arrangement of herbaceous plants while identifying deficiencies in their designs. Finally, feasibility suggestions are provided for the design of herbaceous plant diversity in Chinese rain gardens. This study’s findings can provide a reference for the planting design of herbaceous plants in rain gardens for other countries and regions with similar climates and environmental conditions. Full article